Lined wirebound container



June 8, 1965 P. 0. BUCH LINED wnmsounn CONTAINER Filed Dec. 10, 1962 INVEN TOR.

flue/2 W HTTOEIVEYSZ P/7/7/ '0 a M t M United States Patent "ice 3,187,921 LINED WIREBOUND CONTAINER Philip 0. Buch, Rocltaway, N.J., assignor to stapling Machines Co., Rockaway, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 10, 1962, Ser. No. 243,248 2 Claims. (Cl. 217-3) This invention relates to wirebound containers and par ticularly to a composite crate adapted for shipping berries and the like.

In general terms, the container of the present invention is formed from two separate units, a wirebound open framework shell and a liner unit of foldable sheet material such as prescored corrugated fiberboard. The wirebound shell consists of a four-section wire-bound crate blank binding wires, through the slats (in those sections which i have slats) and into the cleats. After the blank has been folded into the form of an open-top container, cooperating loop fasteners which are provided at the opposite ends of the binding wires are interengaged at the closing corner of the container. The pre-scored foldable liner unit, of corrugated fiberboard or the like, is then inserted into the open top of the container, nesting within it to cover its ends and bottom, and, if desired,-also provide a central partition. 7

The present invention also provides optional means for facilitating stacking of the containers. For this purpose, each end of the liner unit is provided with upwardly projecting tabs which are so arranged that when a similar container is stacked above, these tabs may be inserted between the inner faces of the cleats and the outer faces of the end portions of the linerunit at each end of the bottom section of the container above to key the containers against transverse movement relative to one another. In an alternative embodiment, instead of these tabs, the end portions of the liner unit are provided with upwardly projecting wire fasteners which are inserted through notches in the inner faces of the bottom cleats of the container above. These fasteners may then be bent over against the upper faces of the bottom cleats to lock the containers together against vertical as well as transverse relative movement. In either embodiment, the bottom of the upper container is supported not only by the end framework of the lower container but also by the central partition. 6

Another optional feature of the present invention is a lid member consisting of a fiat, rectangular piece of rela tively rigid sheet material having holes centered adjacent its end edges through which the upwardly projecting portions of the wire fasteners may be inserted and then bent downwardly against the upper surface of the lid member to secure it in fixed position.

This combination of a foldable liner unit nested within a wirebound shell unit permits the use, in the wirebound container blank, of face material of a minimum thickness, thus providing an inexpensive, light-weight open-top container having a number of practical uses.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of a wirebound container blank for use in a container'embody-ing features of this invention.

, 3,187,921 Patented June 8, 1965 FIGURE 2 is an isometric view of a corrugated fiberboard liner unit for use with the container blank of FIG- URE 1, with the liner unit being shown in full lines in its original unfolded condition and in broken lines after being folded, for insertion into the folded wirebound shell.

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view, at slightly enlarged scale, of the container assembled from the units of FIG- URES 1 and 2, with one portion shown broken away to reveal the tabs for aligning the containers when stacked.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of an alternative form of corrugated fiberboard liner unit within the scope of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is an isometric view, at the scale of FIG- URE 3, of a pair of stacked containers including the alternate liner construction of FIGURE 4, and illustrating the use of a lid or cover which comprises an optional feature of the invention.

In FIGURES 1 and 2 are shown the two separate units which are combined to form the container of the present invention. FIGURE 11 shows the wirebound box blank, which includes a bottom section 2, rear section 4, top section 8 and front section 6. The bottom, rear and front sections 2, 4 and 6 have slats 10 stapled to cleats 12 at the'lateral edges of the box blank, while section 8 has cleats 14 only. The several sections are foldably secured together by binding wires 16 which extend longitudinally of the box blank adjacent its lateral edges and are secured thereto by staples 18 driven astride the binding wires 16 through the slats 10 and into the cleats 12 of sections 2, 4 and 6, while in section 8 the staples are driven over the binding wires 16 and directly into the upper surfaces of the cleats 14.

Theseveral sections of the box blank are folded in the usual manner into box form and secured by the interengagement of loop fasteners 20 at opposite ends of each of the binding wires 16. The folded unit is then positioned with its open top section 8 upwardly, as shown inFIGURE 3 for insertion of the liner unit 22.

In FIGURE 2 the pre-scored corrugated fiberboard liner unit 22 is shown in full lines A in its initial flat condition prior to folding. As may be seen, the liner unit is rectangular in shape and has in its undersurface, at its longitudinal center line, a transversely extending score line 24, while its upper surface has four score lines 26 spaced at appropriate intervals to facilitate folding the liner unit into the form illustrated in broken lines B, which includes a pair of upstanding ends 28 and an upstanding doublewalled center partition 30. When thus folded, the liner unit is of such transverse dimensions as to fit snugly down into the open top of the folded wirebound unit, and nest within it, as shown in FIGURE 3.

The upper edges of the ends 28 of the liner unit 22 are so shaped as to provide upwardly projecting tabs 32, which serve as an aligning means when stacking containers above one another, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. The tabs 28 are of a width slightly less than the space between the slats 10 of the bottom section 2 of the container so that they may be inserted between the slats of the container above, and between the inner faces of the bottom cleats 12 and the outer faces of the ends 28 of the upper container, thus keying the two containers against transverse movement relative to one another.

In FIGURES 4 and 5 there is shown an alternative construction of the end portions 28 of the liner unit. As best shown in FIGURE 4, the tabs or tongues 32 are omitted and hairpin-shaped wire loop fasteners 34 are attached centrally of and adjacent the edges of the end portions 28, and project upwardly therefrom in position to be received in shallow notches 36 which are provided in the bottom cleats '12 and the top cleats 14 of the end framework of the wirebound shell. When a similar container is stacked above, the loop fasteners are insented through the notches 36 in the bottom cleats 12 of the container above. They may then be bent over against the upper faces of these cleats to lock the two containers together, if desired.

FIGURE also shows a lid or cover member 38, which is a rectangular piece of a relatively rigid sheet'material such as corrugated fiberboard, and is provided with a pair of hole-s 40 centered adjacent its ends to receive the upwardly projecting ends of the loop fasteners 34, which may then be bent over and downwardly against the upper surface of lid 38 to secure it in a fixed position on the container. v I

As will be understood, the present invention thus provides an economical and light-weight yet practical container which is adapted for many uses, such as shipping a number of small baskets of berries or small, tender fruit. It will therefore be appreciated that the aforementioned and other apparent advantageous objectives have been achieved. However, it should be emphasized that the particular embodiments of the invention which are described herein and illustrated. in the accompanying drawings are intended as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and notasrestrictive of its scope, which is limited only by the appended claims. Iclaim:

1. A wirebound container comprising four sections having adjoining cleats at the lateral edges of the container, with slats stapled thereto on at least the rear,

bottom and front sections, with the bottom section having two slats which are located near the rear and front corners of the container to leave a space between said slats across the central portion of said bottom section, and with the cleats on the bottom section having vertical notches at the center of their inner faces, with the several sections fold'a'bly secured together by binding wires stapled thereto and with the ends of each of said binding wires 4 outwardly against the upper faces of said bottom cleats to lock the two containers against relative movement.

2. A Wirebound container comprising four sections having adjoining cleats at the lateral edges of the container, with slats stapled thereto on only the rear, bottom and front sections, with the bottom section having two slats which are located near the rear and front corners of the container to leave a space between said slats across the central portion of said bottom section, and with the cleats on the bottom section having vertical notches at thecenter of their inner faces, with the several sections fo-ldably secured together by binding wires stapled thereto and with the ends of each of said binding wires on the container.

secured together at one corner of the container, and a unitary liner of foldable sheet material fitted into said container to cover the inner face of the bottom section,

. with the end portions of said liner being folded up perpendicularly to lie against the inner faces of the cleats at the ends of said container and close said ends, said end portions having secured thereto wire fasteners which project upwardly from their upper edges whereby when said container has a similar container stacked upon it, said wire fasteners may be inserted through the notches in the bottom cleats of the uppercontainer and bent secured together at one corner of the container, and a unitary liner of foldable sheet material fitted into said container to cover the inner face of the bottom section, with the end portions of said liner being folded up perpendicularly to lie against the inner faces of the cleats at the ends of said container and close said ends, said end portions having secured thereto wire fasteners which project upwandly from their upper edges whereby when said container has a similar container stacked upon it, said wire fasteners may be inserted through the notches in the bottom cleats of the upper container and bent outwardly against the upper faces of said bottom cleats to lock the two containers against relative movement, and a container lid for-med of a unitary, generally rectangular piece of sheet material of such' dimensions as to cover the top of said container, said lid having an opening near each end, at the center of the end, whereby said wire fasteners may be inserted therethrough and bent down against the upper surface of the lid to secure it References @ited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,651,267 11/27 Ger-an 217--42 2,081,821 5/37 Kilt.

2,264,418 12/41 Tugel et a1. 217-40 2,404,067 7/46 Hill 229-15 2,903,176 9/59 Crane.

3,015,431 1/62 Mulcoy.

3,017,064 1/62 Davis.

3,106,332 10/63 Dieguez.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE J. DRUMMONDQGEORGE O. RALSTON,

Examiners. 

2. A WIREBOUND CONTAINER COMPRISING FOUR SECTIONS HAVING ADJOINING CLEATS AT THE LATERAL EDGES OF THE CONTAINER, WITH SLATS STAPLED THERETO ON ONLY THE REAR, BOTTOM AND FRONT SECTIONS, WITH THE BOTTOM SECTION HAVING TWO SLATS WHICH ARE LOCATED NEAR THE REAR AND FRONT CORNERS OF THE CONTAINER TO LEAVE A SPACE BETWEEN SAID SLATS ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID BOTTOM SECTION, AND WITH THE CLEATS ON THE BOTTOM SECTION HAVING VERTICAL NOTCHES AT THE CENTER OF THEIR INNER FACES, WITH THE SEVERAL SECTIONS FOLDABLY SECURED TOGETHER BY BINDING WIRES STAPLED THERETO AND WITH THE ENDS OF EACH OF SAID BINDING WIRES SECURED TOGETHER AT ONE CORNER OF THE CONTAINER, AND A UNITARY LINER OF FOLDABLE SHEET MATERIAL FITTED INTO SAID CONTAINER TO COVER THE INNER FACE OF THE BOTTOM SECTION. WITH THE END PORTIONS OF SAID LINER BEING FOLDED UP PERPENDICULARLY TO LIE AGAINST THE INNER FACES OF THE CLEATS AT THE ENDS OF SAID CONTAINER AND CLOSE SAID ENDS, SAID END PORTIONS HAVING SECURED THERETO WIRE FASTENERS WHICH PROJECT UPWARDLY FROM THEIR UPPER EDGES WHEREBY WHEN SAID CONTAINER HAS A SIMILAR CONTAINERK STACKED UPON IT, SAID WIRE FASTENERS MAY BE INSERTED THROUGH THE NOTCHES IN THE BOTTOM CLEATS OF THE UPPER CONTAINER AND BENT OUTWARDLY AGAINST THE UPPER FACES OF SAID BOTTOM CLEATS TO LOCK THE TWO CONTAINERS AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT, AND A CONTAINER LID FORMED OF A UNITARY, GENERALLY RECTANGULAR PIECE OF SHEET MATERIAL OF SUCH DIMENSIONS AS TO COVER THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID LID HAVING AN OPENING NEAR EACH END, AT THE CENTER OF THE END, WHEREBY SAID WIRE FASTENERS MAY BE INSERTED THERETHROUGH AND BENT DOWN AGAINST THE UPPER SURFACE O THE LID TO SECURE IT ON THE CONTAINER. 